The United States and Cuba are re-opening embassies in each other’s countries. This is a positive step. Our approach since 1961 was clearly not working. It wasn’t changing the way Cuba was run and it was hurting the Cuban people.

This is the type of thing that makes me happy that I voted for President Obama. This is real change and this is real leadership. This is the way to “spread democracy” and to improve the lives of millions of Cubans.

It has the strong potential to lead to economic development in Cuba and it could mean big business opportunities for US companies.

As opposed to the failed approach of over 50 years where we hoped that somehow isolation and a trade embargo would cause communism to go away. Times change. Policies must also change.